ercookies | TDM 005: HAPPY SPOOKTEMBER

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TDM 005: HAPPY SPOOKTEMBER

Arrival

This time, you come out of the water, the Nameless Island's own inherent energy drawing people in. It's like being suspended between realities and abruptly pushed from behind through a rift in dimensions. It may make you sick, or that might be the motion of the ocean, lifting you to the surface and carrying you to shore.

Waterlogged and covered in sand, new arrivals will be greeted by robots who welcome them with towels and bracelet devices. The A5 card is already loaded up. Feel free to explore the Island, though there isn’t much to see. Most of the buildings are abandoned and in dire need of repair, and beyond the city lingers a thick fog that obscures much of the wilderness from view. Wander too far into this fog, and you will find yourself mysteriously looping back to where you began, your memories of what you were doing and how you got there erased.

With that in mind, it may be wise to stake your claim on a rundown apartment, a tent on the beach, or a bed in the "comfortable" new barracks. Your inventory will be found a day later, wrapped up haphazardly and delivered to each person's makeshift home.

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I. Harvest Hunt

As the daylight grows shorter and the muggy heat of the island’s summer gradually shifts to temperate days and chilly nights, Erku’s accessible wilderness explodes with a colorful collection of tempting fruits, fragrant-smelling herbs, and nuts and seeds plumped and ready for harvest. With warnings to beware of monsters, the robots of Erku encourage Islanders to take advantage of the land’s bounty by distributing basic camping supplies to those who are interested in exploring, hunting, and harvesting. They strongly encourage making the journey with a friend! Any surplus foods that Islanders bring home with them can be exchanged for credits with cafeteria robots! Just be careful out there - some of these fruits have strange effects once consumed.

For extra protection out there in the wilds, the robots have fashioned crowns of flowers or foliage to wear on their adventures. The sweet and herbal smells from the crowns will discourage most Erku-native monsters from approaching, they assure - this is ancient knowledge from the planet’s long-gone civilization, so it can’t be wrong!

What the robots don’t know is that the crowns have a deeper, more ritualistic purpose: after a few hours, the scent of flowers or herbs begins to awaken primal instincts within the wearer. Those who are wearing the foliage crowns feel overwhelmed by an urge to hunt, while those who wear the flower crowns delight in every opportunity to tease, outrun, and outwit the hunters. What happens when the chase ends? Well, that depends on the personalities and the chemistry between the hunters and their prey.

While the robots are very insistent on placing crowns atop the heads of any Islander they see, they aren’t stuck on in any way and they are easy to remove, which can prevent or break the hunting trance.

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II. seeds and sap

Of particularly high credit value, the robots explain, is an elusive flower known as the skull sunflower. It appears exactly as one might imagine: at the center of an otherwise innocuous, towering sunflower is the gruesome visage of an open-mouthed skull. Don’t worry, the flowers are harmless! Even if it’s strange how the empty-socketed eyes seem to follow your every move. And why is it that the teeth - which, on closer inspection, are actually the seeds of the flower - only seem to chatter when your back is turned?

Any Islander who can withstand their heebie-jeebies long enough to collect the petals and seeds from the flowers will fetch a handsome reward in credits upon exchange with the robots. Beware the sticky, blood-red sap that seeps from the eyes of each skull, however. Those who absorb too much through their skin will begin to hallucinate, visions of frightening or emotional events from their past dancing in the shadows. One might even mistakenly imagine that another Islander is someone they recognize from their past, someone who meant something to them - no matter whether that person is alive or dead in the present.

The hallucinogenic effects of the sap can last for hours, or they can be shortened by a dip in the public baths.

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III. Tarot

Night comes, and in the darkness, a robot sets up a table by the beach. A solitary candle sits in the center, illuminating a deck of cards. F̶i̴n̵d̸ ̸y̶o̸u̸r̵ ̵f̵o̸r̷t̵u̶n̶e̷?̴

The robot reveals tarot cards and will do a variety of spreads to tell your fortune. Each fortune can be distilled into one central theme, which characters will find pervades their life for the next 24 hours. There is magic afoot: it can be sensed, and perhaps even dispelled, if luck is on your side.

Though most robots on the island show a capacity for greater-than-average artificial intelligence, this pseudo-psychic 'bot -- M.S. Cl30 -- is less advanced. It only has six interpretations prepared:

Always watch your back. - Characters will be compelled to walk, or even speak, backwards for the duration of the day. Those who mishear it as "wash your back" may spend longer in the shower than usual.
Fake it til you make it. - Characters will feel compelled to act performatively. They will more readily fall into acts for serious or flirtatious roleplay, or try on costumes that reflect a particular persona they're interested in exploring. Faked orgasms will seem quite realistic.
You will receive an affectionate letter from a friend. - Just as it is said, someone will be compelled to engage in correspondence - and whether it turns dirty or not, well, that's up to you! Characters may also quite literally receive an article of clothing with a red letter sewn on the top. What could it stand for?
Hold on tight. - Characters who are given this life advice will start to feel rather clingy. They'll attach themselves to someone's side and refuse to leave, or they may find a "security blanket" item and won't let it go.
You are a generous, giving person. - Characters will feel compelled to do something kind for someone else. Maybe they'll invite someone to the movies, come over and cook, or do that thing their partner is always asking for.
Don't think. Feel. - Even if they weren't before, characters temporarily experience impulsive and hot-headed urges. They will also become very tactile.

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N A V I G A T I O N

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[ That little 'hi' just makes him smile wider, head ducking a bit. God, he's cute. Okay. Just gonna grab his own shirt and yank it off in one swift move, pulling William into another kiss, a little quicker this time.

After pulling away (because they don't need to accidentally knock any teeth out), he lowers himself onto the mattress, sinking to his knees. Before urging William to join him, though, he'll reach for the waistband of his trousers, working on getting them open so he can tug them down and out of the way first. ]

[ his eyebrows go up when she says she can't understand him, but when she asks if he can understand her, he doesn't speak this time. instead, he nods, a little more exaggerated than he did before.

after a moment, he raises his hand, tapping the bracelet at his wrist and then tapping his ear, turning his head to the side. hopefully that communicates that he knows he can understand her because of the bracelet. ]

[ The approach is hardly a bother. Jim's just trying to figure this place out himself, so he understands the confusion. The technology, however, is one of the things he's having the least trouble with, so he smiles when he realizes it's something he can help. ]

Oh, it's no problem. I'll show you.

[ He steps closer to her side, leaning down and pointing to the little slot where she can insert the chip. ]

Just slide it in there, and your bracelet will be able to read the contents for you. [ Before she does so— ] Fair warning, most of what I've found is pretty, ah... explicit stuff.

Keeping your strength up here is important.

[ he doesn't know how important, to be fair, but if there's monsters about then it stands to reason it should be important regardless. the young man shifts closer and cor doesn't move away, instead looking over him as he tries the fruit. ]

No, it isn't. Something fresh is always better than a ration or preserves. But it's unlike anything I've had at home, too.

[ he reaches down, picking up a fruit he knows has edible skin, tasting somewhere between a mango and a lemon, tart and sweet, and offering it. ]

Mind the seeds, they're not edible.

[ angelo gives him a withering look. ]

How childish!

[ "the man that bests Amuro Ray". well. not to be an asshole, but he will not, and there is a reason that gundams progress as much as they do after the war. the man was a trigger whether he likes it or not, and while the red comet held himself admirably against him -- angelo knew his history well enough, as to what came after that.

but the idea that char could be somebody else, not wanting to lead anyone -- there is a future waiting for them. angelo will not have it; this is not the kind of resolve he was expecting from char aznable. but at the same time .... he doesn't have to do anything. he doesn't have to stop char aznable, because char aznable does what he wants and they were only there to follow him, to whichever grave the red comet will lead them to. palau. dakar. or out in the edges of space. he doesn't know now, but he will, inevitably. eventually.

how ridiculously misguided everyone had been when they claimed that they remembered char best. the only people who knew him are dead. therefore, it stands to reason that whatever his captain say should've been authoritative. but everyone clung to char aznable like hope, insidious and poisonous to the most desperate of minds, when he himself, right here, is saying that he doesn't want anything else other than to beat amuro ray. that he knows only extinction awaits him.

spitefully, angelo thinks to himself, soon you will wish you were granted that favour. ]

You sound like a gambler. Profiting off the war for your own selfish, emotional reasons, only that you are the Red Comet and therefore thinks you can make do with a losing hand by yourself. [ angelo scoffs as he repeats to him -- ] "I only want to beat a Gundam." Certainly that's a noble goal. But there is a future in which you will be a part of, already are, whether you like it or not, Char Aznable.

And the more you seek power, the more it becomes inevitable. You cannot avoid who you are. Years and years later .... you still have that same streak in you. [ this is more personal, than anything else, but angelo is thinking of the unicorn, fighting the sinanju, and the tone of his captain's voice when he saw the unicorn, once more: ah. we meet again. like an old friend, the worst kind of enemy, and angelo resents it. ]

But I suppose it's nice to be hopeful. [ a snake, angelo smiles at him in an ugly manner, taught to him by someone who also doesn't care beyond the will that occupies a vessel painted in red. taunting char to hold on to such ideals, to see how long can char hold onto them like they were the only childhood he ever knew. angelo was no strategist, certainly, but the captain who held him was beyond humanity. ] Here, at least, you have truly become no-one, not leading anything or anyone.

[ and hey, that's a goal achieved, right? box ticked. roll snare, curtain call. it's good that he renounced the rank of captain to him. angelo feels, more and more, that he does not deserve it. ]

[ Okay, the mention of tentacles is just going to make Jim grin even wider. Look, it's not like he can talk, he's probably done some... things with species that had tentacle-like appendages, but to be fair, he never did it for money. Never did anything for money before, actually. Whole new concept to him.

(Tentacles aren't, though. Anyway.) ]

I've got a feeling my experience with tentacles is a little more pleasant than yours, [ He comments with a certain glint in his eye, but shakes his head. ] I've never heard of those, no. But they don't sound very pleasant.

[ So he's not gonna be too sad about missing out on it. ]

Ah— no, my crew's a little too big, so I'd be surprised if they'd all made their way here. So far I haven't run into anyone, though. And I do have my comm device with me, but it's not working.

[ It's more of a trinket than anything, at this point. It's on and it has power, but it picks up nothing other than static. ]

And shackling your own hopes and ambitions onto someone else? What would you call that, then?

[Congratulations, Angelo, you have his attention. He didn't mind being called out as a coward; he didn't mind suffering through another speech, cradled in the bosom of Zeon. But he did mind imposition, presumption, and someone attempting to assert themselves as an authority figure. Because he may not want to lead anyone or be anything, but one thing he was not...]

Because to me, that just sounds like slavery.

[...was a slave.]

...you're going to go bald at this rate...

[Put your damn hand down, you dumbass. Stop forcing your coldblooded killer to babysit.

Char just sighs and decides that any further gloating, relieving as it may have been, was doomed to preemption because of a certain prima donna who couldn't stop weeping and wailing over what could or should have been. He tries to smooth out his own cape, then realizes the irony of doing so in front of a Zabi. And in front of this Zabi, in particular, who died for its cause.

He winds up staring at the golden wings and thinking about what could or should have been.]

Find me something else to wear and we can agree that this never happened.

[ He doesn't know her and, ordinarily, wouldn't care to get to know her, but she looks barely any older than Zeta or Beatrix, and the thought of either of them so carelessly throw away their lives (or at the very least, their digestive systems) sits uncomfortably at the pit of his stomach.

The oozing fruit exchanges hands, dripping sticky-sweet juice as it does. The mess makes his nose wrinkle, but it doesn't stop him from lifting it up to his mouth and taking a bite, getting purple juice all over his mouth as he does. ]

I'll throw it up instead then.

[ Tarot card: 2. Eustace's crabby nature: 0.

Is he eating one of the passionfruits? Is he going to end up a yandere for the next 24 hours? Watch this space to find out. ]

[ It takes Garma a long moment to answer. He needs to just let himself breathe for a moment, let these experiences sink in. Forget it happened...? The hunt, the kiss, his death? Well, it doesn't matter.

In a round-about way, he's getting the answer to his previous question here. Char won't murder him right now and they can just... exist. Work out how to exist when stuck on the same island. Garma exhales very slowly and straightens out his posture. ]

I can find you something alright, but knowing this place, it might just be lingerie.

[ He finally moves his back off the wall and starts walking in the direction of town center, expecting Char to follow. ]

Let's see if your luck holds out at the tailor shop.

[ alright, time to double down on the rhetoric. ]

To be given a reason to exist? To know your purpose? To toil towards a future and a will? That is not slavery. That is devotion. Do you know how that feels? Or have you completely lost it in your Zaku, or to the Zabis?

More than that, can you genuinely say that you are free of this Gundam? That anytime you choose to, you can walk away from this fight? [ good. if he has his attention, angelo will court it with the arrogance of a beast. he tucks a curl behind his ear and leans back against the rather flat pillows of his bed, lazily, regarding him with such indifference. ] You think too highly of yourself for someone who will never know freedom, not unless you are in a mobile suit and fighting.

[ angelo smiles serenely, the only reason that he is able to being that he is not entirely looking at char. not at all. ] You may think whatever you think it is that you want. I will be here, Captain. I will take care of you, as always, once you realize where your search for freedom will take you. I will wait.

[ angelo has always belonged to the ghost of char, the second coming of the red comet, the king of the dispossessed. char doesn't know it yet, but he will. this snake is here to coil around him, to remind him of his bad traits and habits, to encourage them and make them even worse. and perhaps, the most tragic of them all: that angelo accepts all of those faults, forgives them, loves them besides. the most terrible lalah nobody asked for. and yet. ]

I'm sure it is but I've had other things at the forefront of my thoughts.

[That's certainly an understatement and it isn't the first time he's simply been too busy to pay attention to his body's needs, whether it be food or sleep.

Yuri's gaze settles on the fruit being held out to him and, honestly, how can he even resist? Leaning closer slowly, he parts his lips and takes a bite of the fruit the stranger is holding, paying no attention to the small dribble of juice that runs down his chin. He knows exactly how it looks and he knows he doesn't really have any reason to be such a tease, but it's fun nonetheless.]

Mm, I like that one. [He actually does, the tartness makes it pretty mouthwatering.] How did you find out about the seeds?

[ Oh. Well, if that doesn't strike some guilt through his veins. ]

No. No, it's not your fault. You have nothing to apologize for.

[ This feels like a good reason why he shouldn't have done anything. After all, he's still sorta hung up on the Never Hurt James Kirk crusade, but at least he's not trying to overcorrect either. ]

I'm sorry. I- I don't mean to make things weird. [ He'll just have to rein in his lovesick fool self a little better from now on. ] We'll just... figure it out with time.

[ Jim shoots an eyebrow up at that, but he sure isn't about to deny himself the pleasure, no. He steps closer, hands running down August's torso, letting out a low hum as his fingers brush through a fairly thick patch of hair coating most of August's chest. Jim is virtually hairless by comparison, that faint trail of light hairs leading down his navel barely anything when compared to August, but he likes it a lot. ]

[ It takes a second to realize that he's being spoken to. Though, Finn has to note that she's not getting anywhere near him. He... doesn't blame her. ]

I-... I'm kinda-... I can't seem to let go.

[ He tugs a little against the tree, well aware that he must look absolutely out of his mind... Awesome, great first impression. ]

[ Finn whips his head around and sees-... He blinks. Wait, didn't they dance once? At that festival thing, right? Does he remember him, too?

Would he even admit that he knows the guy currently clinging to a tree? If Finn remembers correctly, Peter seemed smarter than that. ]

I'm, uh- [ He tugs against the tree. ] I'm kind of stuck.

Mercy, mercy--not all greens are edible.

[Lorenz's discretion is appreciated, but Darby's puppy (pony?) eyes are somewhat less effective when coupled with the fact that she's gotten a mouthful of leaves and hair. He can't exactly blame her for it, not when they're very nearly the same shade; Seteth is wincing regardless, putting a hand on her nose to urge her back.]

[ He actually gives that some thought, then shrugs, smiling at Finn. ]

It's not really weird. For me, at least.

[ Might be weirder for Finn, he thinks. At least he doesn't have to worry about thinking what things he should or shouldn't know, but he knows he'd measure every word of his if he were in Finn's shoes. He just hopes to make him feel comfortable enough to not worry about that. ]

So— tell me something about yourself? Something you've told me before.

Wow, okay. She might be a lunatic for Adora but she can't help but find the sight of him sinking his teeth into the fruit alluring, eyes watching a trail of purple make its way down his throat. Maybe there was nothing wrong with this fruit at all, it was just erotic on its own. Was she staring?

Oh, right. ]

I know I make a good first impression but you really shouldn't eat things given to you from strangers.

[ Catra can't help but grin as she teases him, tail quivering behind her in anticipation of literally anything that could be a consequence of the fruit. She tries to shake the juices off of her free hand but no, she made this mess and now she must live with the consequences. ]

[Hey, you can't just lead him like that! ...or maybe he can, since Char has absolutely no idea where he wants to go and his sense of direction has been a little skewed since arrival. So he will begrudgingly permit Garma to lead the proverbial charge to wherever this magical shop of wonders might be. Doesn't mean he has to be polite, though.]

Try not to trip.

[Twerp.]

[ growing up an island means that yang has healthy appreciation for the ocean. the salty smell that lingers in the air, the sound of ever crashing waves, the sight of it stretching to the horizon and beyond...the sea brings a sense of peace like little else does.

it's why she's taken to running along the beach in the morning. get her blood pumping amidst the calm. if yang had her way, she'd have her headphones shoved in her ears, blasting some loud music playing off her scroll, but with no headphones and her scroll's battery long dead, all she's got are the ambient sounds of the beach and any chatter from passerby to keep her motivated. the thought of turning around to start the long run home is on her mind when she catches sight of a person sitting aside a horse. which is weird because there aren't even horses in the nameless city.

she jogs ahead despite the creeping exhaustion and comes to a stop in front of yennefer. ]

Hey! [ she waves. ] Couldn't help but notice your ride. They look...comfy.

There was also the fact that he and Heero arrived at different times, but from nearly the same point - and Heero hadn't been missing a month when Duo arrived. Time worked strangely and differently here, and so far Duo had just accepted that.

Zechs mentioning washing up has Duo nodding a little bit. He half turns, beginning to unload what he'd scavenged from the house back onto the countertop. If Zechs was interested in this place, at least, Duo could leave him what little supplies were inside.

"Well, I can certainly give you the low down. Which is everything they're saying is true," he says, shrugging one of his shoulders. "However we got here, having sex is how you get what you need and repair the place." Blunt, but the honest truth.

... maybe they have some gags on sale, too.

[ He should be glad that Char is not trying to butter him up with any sweet lies, but the constant insults are really grating, too. Isn't there a rule to not speak ill of the dead? Has society really bid goodbye to good manners like that?

Garma will dutifully lead Char to the actual tailor shop though. ]

[So much for docile and demure.

What was even the point of this argument? Did Angelo really and truly believe that Char Aznable, a man he had just met for the first time, was going to heed a goddamn thing he said? He couldn't possibly be that stupid. He couldn't possibly be so naive, thinking that a boy who grew up under the greatest mind of their time wouldn't be able to see right through that rhetoric.

It makes him mad. Worse than that, it forces him to confront his own feelings. Char whips around like a cornered cat and in one swift move, pins Angelo the same pillows he was lounging upon. Try being indifferent, facing down the Red Comet at point blank range. And for all those fluent words, Char offers just one, accompanied by the unmistakable pressure of a Newtype.]

Don't.

[At least there was no one around to look. No one but dead men and shackled slaves.]

[ Oh, uh... Huh. Finn first thinks of all the things he shouldn't say on a first meeting. It feels like pretty much everything, really. Doesn't seem fair to withhold knowledge, though...

He blinks, a beat passing while he thinks. ]

Well... I was raised military. My galaxy's been at war for a long time, so I've sort of grown up with it. [ Even before, Finn had carefully not told him about the 'FN-2187' thing. Oh, look, more hang ups. ] And I'm... kind of... telepathic? Not so much since coming here, though, but the whole thing is still new to me, anyway. [ That one he's just mentioning because it's the right thing to do. It's something you warn people about upfront, he figures.

But the whole Sith situation... Maybe he'll hold off on that and just try to watch himself for awhile. ]

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TDM 005: HAPPY SPOOKTEMBER

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